Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $13.89.

Several research firms have weighed in on VALE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Vale from $16.50 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Vale from $16.00 to $15.25 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Vale from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Vale in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of VALE stock opened at $8.95 on Monday. Vale has a 1 year low of $8.38 and a 1 year high of $14.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.15. Vale had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 21.07%. The company had revenue of $9.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vale will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vale

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in Vale by 215.9% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vale in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vale during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Vale during the third quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in Vale in the fourth quarter valued at about $96,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Company Profile

Vale SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells iron ore and iron ore pellets for use as raw materials in steelmaking in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Iron Solutions and Energy Transition Materials segments. The Iron Solutions segment produces and extracts iron ore and pellets, manganese, and other ferrous products; and provides related logistic services.